Quick Links
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunthas many interesting things to offer players, including a great narrative, entertaining combat mechanics, five Witcher Signs for them to take advantage of, and a ton of main and side quests that should be pursued to completion. It also featuresmany tragic storiesthat will put players in a moral conundrum, forcing them to choose the lesser of two evils.
During the quest “Return to Crookback Bog”, you’ll have to choose between four different dolls in an effort to help the Bloody Baron reunite with his family and try to right his wrongs. Here’show to save Anna, the Baron’s wife inThe Witcher 3.
How To Save Anna In The Witcher 3
During the quest “Ladies of the Wood” and its subquest “The Whispering Hillock”, which take place before “Return to Crookback Bog”, you’ll either have to choose between saving a Tree Spirit or killing it. This will greatly determine how you meet Anna and her daughter Tamara in the latter quest. Meeting Tamara in Oxenfurt previous to this quest also changes a few things. If you saved the Tree Spirit (after the ealdorman tasks you with it), you’ll find that Anna has been transformed into a Grave Hag, whereas if you picked any other fate for it, she will appear normal, but not mentally sound. The Bloody Baron will say he’ll take her to a hermit, hoping he can cure her. In this instance, the quest will end, and Geralt will receive 300 XP and 100 Crowns. This is the only way to save Anna’s life, even if she’s psychologically unwell. However, there’s another possible scenario.
If Anna has been turned into a Grave Hag, a series of events will unfold, leading Geralt to Johnny, the friendly godling, who will reveal that the Crones of Crookback Bog took Anna to a basement, collected a lock of her hair, and cursed her. This will eventually lead you to said basement, where you’ll have to pick a doll hoping to lift Anna’s curse and return her to normal.Your options will be:
The Hollyhock Bloom doll is the right choice, so picking it will lift Anna’s curse, but, unfortunately, there’s a tragic catch. Once Geralt picks the doll, the curse will be lifted, but, as the Crones do, they built a failsafe into it that tied Anna’s life to the curse. This means that Anna will die soon, but at least she’ll depart the world of the living while being sound of mind and, after having had the chance to say goodbye to her daughter and husband, as terrible as he was to her. So, in a nutshell, if you want to save Anna at the expense of her sanity, you’ll have to kill the Tree Spirit in the “Ladies of the Wood” mission. This is just one of the many moral dilemmas you’ll encounter inThe Witcher 3, as there’sa similar scenario in “The Nithing” questonce you reach Skellige.
What Are The Rewards For Completing The Return To Crookback Bog Mission?
For this mission, you’ll get a total of 500 XP and 100 Crowns, which the Bloody Baron will say you may collect from Crow’s Perch. However, when you get there, you’ll find that he has hung himself out of guilt, and you’ll instead be paid by Sergeant Ardal.
“Return to Crookback Bog” is full of twists and turns, and in any scenario, it has a bittersweet ending. However, many would agree that lifting Anna’s curse and allowing her to say her goodbyes while she’s still sane is the merciful choice, and possibly the best outcome.
